1. Field of Invention
The field of the currently claimed embodiments of this invention relates to thermal dose monitoring systems for tumor ablation therapy, and more particularly to real-time ultrasound thermal dose monitoring systems for tumor ablation therapy.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Tumor ablation therapy is one approach to remove tumor tissue by minimally invasive surgical procedures. In such procedures, an interventional tool is typically directed to a location within the patient's body that is either close to, or within tumor tissue. Energy is then delivered to the tumor tissue with a density and sufficiently rapidly to destroy tumor tissue by ablation. The interventional ablation tool can be a radio frequency ablation tool, or a laser ablation tool, for example. In the tumor ablation treatment, the safety and accuracy could be greatly improved if the operator is able to monitor the thermal dose in real time.
In the tumor ablation operation, applicator guidance and ablation process monitoring are crucial, especially when the operation requires high accuracy. However, due to the low contrast between ablated and untreated tissue in the B mode image, conventional ultrasound imaging is usually not effective for the monitoring. Other imaging modalities including CT and MRI can be incorporated with the ablation therapy and provide effective image guidance and monitoring; however, the requirements of these high-end imaging devices makes this approach unaffordable or inaccessible for many patients. The radiation dose and magnetic field compatibility requirements also prevent these methods from being widely used. Therefore, there remains a need for thermal dose monitoring systems for tumor ablation therapy.